Hong Sang-soo, Kim Min-hee to attend Berlinale together

“The Novelist’s Film,” directed by Hong Sang-soo (Jeonwonsa Film)

Filmmaker Hong Sang-soo and actor Kim Min-hee will participate in the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival, which will take place from Feb. 10 to 20 as an in-person event.

In January, the auteur’s 27th feature, “The Novelist’s Film,” was listed along with 17 other movies that will vie for the Gold and Silver Bear awards at the Berlinale.

Kim, who is in a relationship with Hong and also considered his muse, is a lead actor and co-producer for “The Novelist’s Film.”

It would be the first time for Hong and Kim to appear in public together since February 2020, also for the Berlinale. At the time, Hong’s “The Woman Who Ran” was invited in the competition section.

“The Novelist’s Film” is a black-and-white drama. Along with Kim, the film also stars veteran actors Lee Hye-young and Seo Young-hwa.

In the movie, a female novelist (Lee) takes a long trip to visit a bookstore run by a friend who has fallen out of touch. After arriving at the bookstore, she heads to a tower on her own, where she runs into a film director and his wife. They take a walk in a park together and meet an actor (Kim). The novelist tries to talk the actor into playing a role in the movie that she is trying to make. They then decide to get something to eat. After the meal, they revisit the bookstore to have a drink.

According to 72nd Berlinale executive director Carlo Shatrian, the film celebrates the beauty of chance encounters, while talking about the importance of authenticity in the dishonest world of cinema.

This is the third consecutive year that Hong has had a film invited to the film fest in Berlin.

Hong’s “The Woman Who Ran” received the Silver Bear for best director in 2020 and “Introduction” won the Silver Bear prize for best screenplay in 2021. Kim also won for best actress at the Berlinale for appearing in Hong’s “On the Beach at Night” in 2017.

By Song Seung-hyun(ssh@heraldcorp.com)